


Shino’s quiet love

by R_4_L



Series: Naruto Rare Pairs [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Hidden mates, M/M, Mentions Canon Deaths, Sorry Hinata’s an asshole in this one, rare pairs, soul mate tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_4_L/pseuds/R_4_L
Summary: Shino is the first in many generations of Aburame to have a soul mate tattoo and the fox image leave no doubt as to who it is.  He hasn’t found the courage to approach Naruto about it.  Just before he could say anything Hinata manipulated her way into the middle.  Now he was at a stand still.  He would do what he could to support his mate from the background.
Relationships: Aburame Shino/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Naruto Rare Pairs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735021
Comments: 8
Kudos: 221





	Shino’s quiet love

Shino had been nervous starting class at the academy. How many of the kids would laugh at his bugs? Would they try to squash them? Finding out that there were a bunch of other clan students in his class made him feel better. He may not know them all personally, but there had been enough inter clan gathering held over the years that he had seen most of his classmates at one point of another. There were a couple of kids that he didn’t know. Civilian families, if he had to guess. Shino sat at the front. Everyone thought he was trying to be a suck up, but if he sat at the front near the window then he could let his bugs out and no one would come and harass him. An energetic blonde came running over when he saw one Shino’s bugs crawling across his desk. He had to move quickly to stop the blonde from squishing it. Once he explained just what his kikaichu were, the blonde became enamoured with them and wanted Shino to teach him everything he could about his hive.

Naruto. That was the blonde’s name. He was extremely loud and he had no manners, but he tried very hard to remember what Shino had said about his kikaichu so he wouldn’t hurt them. Naruto often hung out with Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba who were all clan kids like him. Kiba and Naruto were both loud. 

“Why do you hang out with him?” Shino didn’t understand Shikamaru’s motive for being around Naruto.

Shikamaru was lying on the grass in the Academy yard, his arms behind his head, his gaze on the clouds moving across the sky. “Who?” He didn’t even try to meet Shino’s eyes.

“Really?” Shino didn’t buy the innocent act. “Naruto.”

Shikamaru closed his eyes as a smile snaked across his face, “thought so, just wanted to make sure you weren’t talking about the Inuzuka. Naruto’s funny. You never know what he’ll do next. Besides he doesn’t have many friends or support and I like him.” 

Shino tilted his head, Shikamaru hadn’t moved but he got the feeling that the class genius was waiting to see what his answer was going to be. “Interesting.”

****  
It was near the end of their third year at the academy when some of his classmates started to have soul mate tattoos appear. 

When the mark first showed up in his shoulder he wasn’t sure what to do. It wasn’t until months after graduation that he realized who the tattoo represented. He was scared. Shino knew how the villagers felt about Naruto, all because of what was sealed inside of him. When he really thought about it, Naruto being a jinchuriki wasn’t much different then being part of the Abrurame. They both housed things inside of them that freaked other people out. Naruto’s just happened to be angrier and more dangerous. He needed help and for that he needed his father. He had shown his father his mate mark. It would just take a glance of it to know who it represented. He wanted to make sure that when he pursued his mate, that he had the support of his family.

“Shino, you know who this is?” Shibi sat with son looking at the soul mate mark.

“I do. Will this be a problem for the family? For the clan?” Shino wanted to caress the image on his upper arm.

Shibi sat quietly while he thought on it. “Shino, you are the first in four generations to be blessed with a soul mate mark. I have seen the boy and watched him grow as I have watched you. I have heard other jonin talk about him and while I don’t agree with how he was treated when he was a child, Naruto has been nothing but honourable.”

“What about him being a jinchuriki?” Shino knew he wasn’t supposed to know about that, but when you saw the nine tail chakra leak out during a fight, you just dealt with it.

Shibi gave his son a smile as his fingers brushed near the mark, “as long as you are happy, we will support you.”

***

Being a part of team eight was fraught with hidden tension. They were all sensors so it was hard to hide anything from each other. 

Kiba and Akamaru were always smelling of pheromones and dog. It was hard to get a read on who he was interested in, if there was anyone. The problem was he kept nosing around. Shino’s kikaichu really didn’t like Akamaru all that much. They wouldn’t do anything to hurt the ninja hound but they would definitely prefer if he kept his distance. 

Hinata was a lot sneakier and Shino blamed the Hyugas for that. Hinata put out the aura of being a weak and helpless shinobi and on one hand she was. She often doubted her form and her strength. What she hid from everyone was just how manipulative she was. She had Kurenai Sensei and most of their classmates fooled into thinking that she was some sheltered demure little princess, when in fact she had everyone doing her bidding. 

He had been at a restaurant by himself when he had overheard her talking to an older cousin about prospective mates. She had gone through their entire year, male and female and found each and everyone lacking. 

When her cousin had brought up soul mates, Hinata had laughed. “You know the branch family is the only side that could potentially receive a soul mate mark. Besides soul mates are only good if you can use them to your advantage. There are a couple in my class that could be easy marks and would be of great benefit to the Hyuga clan.”

“Hinata-Chan, you shouldn’t say things like that.” 

“No Masako, what I need, is to be careful. There are a couple that while they would be advantageous mates, a couple are too smart for me to manipulate. I need to think on this and choose carefully.” Hinata’s voice was cold and calculating in it’s soft tones.

Shino sat still and prayed that they would leave before he did. The last thing he wanted was for Hinata to even suspect that he had heard what she had to say. 

Three weeks later they were on a mission when Kiba brought up soul mate marks. Kurenai made sure to take the time to explain that the mate marks were present on only sixty percent of shinobi anymore. Most clans had forgone trusting the fates choice of a mate in order to make sure that clan genetics were strong. 

“Just because you have a soul mate mark, doesn’t mean that you have to mate with that person. What it means is that fate believes that person is your perfect match. You can still have a happy life with someone else, even if you have a soul mate mark.”

Kiba rubbed at his shoulder, “but they will understand you better then others, right. I mean, I guess I understand that all relationships are going to need work, but my soul mate is someone who understands me on another deeper level. Kinda like the way Akamaru does right?”

Kurenai smiled as she thought of her own mate. “Yes they do. Being around them soothes something in you that you didn’t even know was out of sync. They smell right, feel right, and calm you. At least that’s how my soul mate makes me feel. Now my best friend doesn’t have a soul mate mark. Her husband is still really loving and their relationship is one that I’d like to model mine after.”

“Do you have a soul mate mark, Kiba?” Hinata was curious now. She’d never seen one.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to show it right now.” Kiba ducked his head and Shino knew that Kurenai would be talking to the boy again. 

“What about you Shino?” Shino almost flinched behind his dark glasses at the coldness in Hinata’s gaze.

“It seems unlikely that I will receive a mate mark. Why? Because neither my parents nor my grandparents had a soul mate mark.”

Hinata just nodded and turned back to Kiba, her gaze determined. Shino wished the Inuzuka well in hiding who his mate was from their scheming teammate.

Three weeks later Shino’s luck ran out. He had been training alone with his kikaichu, disappointed that he had been left behind while the rest of their group went in search of Sasuke. He knew that the mission had been a failure, he had been visiting most of his friends in the hospital. Shino wanted to be stronger, better. To be able to support his future mate to the best of his ability. It was the reason he was out here training as hard as he was. He had worked up such a sweat that he took off his jacket in order to allow his kikaichu out, to cover his skin and cool off. Generally if he had to go without his jacket he had his kikaichu cover his upper arms and shoulders to hide the tattoo from view but he let his guard down and hadn’t heard Hinata’s approach.

“So it appears that you do have a soul mate mark.” The ice in her voice was made all the more deadly for it’s soft tones.

The kikaichu rushed to cover the outline of a fox, late though it was. What could he say? Refusing to show any more weakness he continued his training, his shoulder remained covered at all times. The depth of her cunning started that week and everyone lapped it up.

Shino buried the hurt and every little dig she sent his way. 

The bug user looked for Naruto. He wanted to talk to him, to see if maybe he had a soul mate mark as well. If not to at least get to know him better.

“You’re too late.” Hinata leaned against the fence, a dango stick in hand. “He left to train. Sakura said he’d be gone for three years.” Brushing pass him she whispered, “I won’t let you have him.” Her nail scratch across his tattoo like striking a line through his hitai-ate. It didn’t matter that it was covered by his jacket. He hated to have anyone touch his mark.

With Naruto’s return came the Akatsuki and the fight for Gaara’s life. Shino would like to have felt slighted, but he knew that Gaara had been treated even worse then Naruto had. If anyone deserved to be brothers by choice it was Gaara and Naruto. 

He watched the way Naruto moved through the town. Hinata rushing behind, playing the fainting maiden. All he could think of was how he had filled out and matured. The blonde was so handsome now. 

Losing Asuma had been a blow they weren’t expecting. Dealing with the fall out kept him busy and unable to try and talk to the jinchuriki. Kurenai need them. Shino and Shikamaru had spent the first night with her. Ino, Choji and Kiba had shown up the next morning and between the five of them they had devised a schedule to continue to check on her. The majority of the shifts had gone to Shika and Shino because that was their personality. It might mean that he had to put perusing his mate on hold, but Kurenai was his sensei and she came first at the moment. 

Seeing Lord Jiraya’s toad summons in village brought a bad feeling to the pit of his stomach. Shino knew he shouldn’t have and could get in deep trouble if he had been caught, but Shino sent some of his kikaichu to spy on the Hokage. He had learned of Lord Jiraya’s death and watching the way it affected his mate brought tears to his eyes. He wanted to approach him, to comfort him, but just when he worked up the courage, Naruto was sent away to Toad mountain to train.

The fight with Pain had been devastating. The village destroyed and Shino had been buried under rubble with his family while Naruto fought for all of their lives. Hinata had dove in to fight for Naruto and that gave Shino pause. He heard from a number of shinobi that had seen the fight how Hinata had tried to free Naruto and been struck down. That had been the catalyst Naruto needed to free himself and battle Pain for real. Had Hinata been caught in a trap of her own making? Naruto was the type of guy who befriended everyone. Could he have somehow opened her heart enough that Hinata had honestly fallen for him? Shino had backed away and was content to watch Naruto from afar. If he had fallen for Hinata, then he wouldn’t stand in their way. What he wanted more than anything was for his mate to be happy. Naruto deserved nothing less.

“What the fuck are you waiting for?”

The voice behind him, startled him. Shino whipped around to see Shikamaru leaning against a tree. 

“Come on Shino. Why are you letting Hinata play her game? I don’t know what type of game she’s playing at, but she’s not Naruto’s mate. You are.”

“Why do you think that?” Shino wasn’t sure he like the Nara genius knowing something so personal.

Shikamaru flicked open his lighter. Asuma hadn’t been gone long and the pain was still deep. Both Shino and Shika had spent multiple nights with Kurenai keeping her company and helping her get ready for the baby.

“Aside from the fact that I saw your mark last week when you spent the night to help Kurenai? I guess the way you keep following him around with your eyes, your bugs trail him everywhere. Those glasses don’t hide everything. You’ve been doing some reading on what it means to be a Jinchuiki, research on his family. I heard you even took a a mission to Uzushio.”

“Shit.” Shino was trying not to look worried. If Shikamaru figured it out, he wondered if Hinata could as well.

Being the genius he was Shikamaru was one step ahead. “I laid a false trail for the other one. Look seriously, why haven’t you approached him? He’s not as oblivious as he appears to Hinata’s performance. He is however, dumb enough to fall for it. He doesn’t believe that he has a soul mate mark, no matter how many times Sakura tries to tell him differently.”

“Why would Sakura know?” Shino wanted to call the question back. He hated to be so needy.

“Ask her yourself.” Shikamaru walked off debating if he needed to hit a loud mouth blonde over the head in order for him to see his mate standing right in front of his eyes.

Shino never got the chance to ask Sakura about it. At least not right away. There was a war council and Sasuke going rouge. Naruto being sent to train with the Hidden Cloud’s jinchuriki, which didn’t sit well with the Hyugas. Kumo having tried to kidnap Hinata years ago resulting in the death of Neji’s father.

They were traveling to war. Something never done in the shinobi history, the five lands working together against a common foe. There were only two jincuricki’s left now and Shino would fight until his dying breath to protect his mate.

“He’ll be fine Shino.” Sakura walked into the clan’s camp to stand by the fire his family had started. Most shinobi had gone back to gathering with their clans for what comfort they could find before war. Sakura, as a civilian born, had none.

“Join us please.” Shibi gestured to the spot beside Shino.

Shino shuffled over on the blanket so Sakura could sit beside him. He had forgotten that she would most likely be alone from here on out. She had no clan, Naruto was in seclusion and no one dared to mention Sasuke’s name out loud. Kakashi was up front with the leaders, Yamato and Sai would be on guard rotation with the rest of ANBU. The best Sakura could do would be to join the medics. That wouldn’t be relaxing as they were almost constantly working. 

“You are welcome here Sakura. Always.” Shino was glad when his father passed her a plate of food and left to check on the other family members.

“Did I chase him off?” Sakura was worried that maybe she shouldn’t have come no matter what Shikamaru had said.

“No dad has gone to check on some of out other clansmen and see how they are fairing.”

“Oh,” she took a bite, cleaning the plate before she even realized how hungry she really was. “That was good thank you. I meant what I said. Naruto will be fine. He’s strong and stubborn and so damn lucky.” She laughed but it was a little brittle. “I don’t know why he won’t believe me, but I know that you are his mate. I’ve seen the mark. It never stays long and I’ve only seen it two or three times but I’ve seen it.”

Shino just nodded. “I will have faith.”

Sakura relaxed and sat quietly beside him. She really liked Shino and wished she had talked to him more in class. Looking down at his hands she spotted one of his kikaichu. Curiosity getting the better of her, she questioned him about his hive and how they worked. Shibi returned with a couple of older clansmen. Sakura asked them similar questions, and Shino could see she was trying figure out if the kikaichu could help in the medical field at all. It was an avenue that hadn’t been looked at in quite that way and would give his father and the others something to think about. Eventually the questions slowed and Sakura leaned against Shino’s frame.

Shibi moved around the fire to place a blanket around her. “Do you want me to move her?”

Shino thought about it and realized that she didn’t make him uncomfortable. “No, if you’re okay with her staying a here for the night, I’ll make sure she takes my tent.”

“She has given us something to think about. Takao would like to study something other than the shinobi arts and I was unsure of a direction to guide him. I never thought of using the kikaichu for medical diagnosis.” The Abrame elder was looking fondly at Sakura, “and that the Lady Hokage has taken her as an apprentice is to her credit. She is calm under fire.”

Looking back on it, that was the last peaceful night they had. Shino wasn’t ashamed to say he slipped a female kikaichu onto Sakura to keep track of her as he knew that if he could keep her safe for his mate, he would.

Shino fought side by side with his kinsmen, doing what he was called on to do. He protected Kiba and Akamaru when they were pulled into the shadow realm and made sure to send a few of his insects home so they could be studied in case he didn’t make it. When he encountered his cousin, he mourned his death and yet rejoiced at the sight of his mate so strong and in sync with the tailed fox. It didn’t matter that it was a clone. Watching Neji die changed something in him. Shino watched the way Naruto grabbed Hinata’s hand and knew that he had lost. He resigned himself to supporting the blonde from the background, doing what he could to make sure that Naruto not only achieved his dreams but surpassed any challenges that came his way. 

The village was a buzz. Love was in the air and it seemed that many from their year were getting married. Shikamaru had gone to the Village in the Sand and came back engaged to Temari, the Kazekage’s sister. Choji was dating Karui from the Stone. Ino and Sai were talking marriage. Naruto and Hinata were dating. The two that no one really wanted to mention was Kiba dating a girl who ran a cat sanctuary. It was a bit of an odd pairing. The other match up was Sakura. Everyone knew she was still in love with Sasuke. Everytime he came to the village he stayed with her. It was a relationship that made everyone but Naruto nervous.

***

“I want all of you to come.” Shikamaru stared at Shino and the bug user knew that the genius was doing this for him. “I reserved the entire Nara onsen for the next four days. Tonight it’s us seven, tomorrow Gaara and Kankuro and some of the jonin.”

“Where’s Temari staying?” Choji didn’t want her to feel left out. 

“Sakura has offered her place as the two of them have spent the most time together. Temari actually sounded quite happy about it. When I left them, Temari was asking about inviting TenTen over. Temari can hold her own in almost any situation, and Sakura will make sure that it’s a small group tonight, people she’s comfortable with.” Shikamaru was almost sacred about what the three would come up with together, but also knew that she would need strong ties here if this relationship of theirs was going to work. “Gaara said he knew that if he and Kankuro showed up too soon, it’d end being way too political.”

“We can do this for you Shika.” Naruto was almost as enthusiastic as Lee at times and it could be draining. He heart was in the right place and that was what mattered.

The onsen was Shikamaru’s last ditch plan to get Naruto to see Shino for what he was. He knew that Naruto had been busy with missions lately and he was worried the blonde was thinking about proposing to Hinata. He wanted to make sure that Naruto knew he had a soul mate before he did.

Shino had been quietly support him since the Academy days. Shika remembered how the two of them had taught Naruto to read and write. He knew that Shino had spent more time at the blonde’s apartment then he had. They had worked hard to get Naruto to pass the written portion of the genin exam. Shino was also the reason Naruto loved plants as much as he did. When Naruto was away on missions he had started to ask Iruka to look after his apartment but the man was chronically overworked and everyone knew it. Naruto had approached Shino for help as the man was the only one aside from Ino he trusted to look after his plants. Ino tended to be out on missions as well, while Shino was more often teaching at the academy.

Shino sighed, there was going to be no way to get out of this. Not without making a big deal and that wasn’t his style. Shikamaru knew what he was doing, boxing him into a corner like this. Kiba must have had a clue as well since his teammate wrapped his arm around him and brought him into the center of the group. 

“Come on Shino, it’s been ages since we’ve all been able to relax together. Not since Choji’s fourteenth birthday, wasn’t it?” Kiba’s voice was just as loud as Naruto’s. 

It often amazed Shino just what their group dynamics looked like to an outsider. There had been himself, Neji and Shikamaru who were considered the quiet ones. While Naruto, Lee and Kiba were so outgoing as to be scary. Sai, Sasuke and Choji could go either way, although Choji was the only one of that group that didn’t slip into sarcastic ass or an emo brat mode. He didn’t even want to think about the female part of their teams. Not tonight.

The Nara onsen was in the far back corner of the clan grounds, it was set up for separate bathing. The hot springs themselves were open to the night air, the far wall being high enough to give privacy but low enough for those inside to enjoy the view of the Nara woods. The pool was large enough to hold fifteen to twenty people. There was a lot of natural stone used to create waterfalls and alcoves, it gave it a real natural feel. Everyone stripped and put their clothes in the baskets before moving off to shower. 

“Please tell me you guys have a time limit as to how long you are allowed in here?” Naruto’s question was so odd that it threw everyone for a loop. 

“What?” Kiba couldn’t contain his confusion. 

They were all sitting in the pool, enjoying the heat of the late afternoon sun.

“You’d think after all these years we’d get used to the way his mind works, but we never do.” Choji just shook his head and leaned against the edge.

Sai was still trying to figure out the whole friendship thing, “why?”

Naruto just grinned, he was used to explaining his thought process and never took offence. “If they didn’t all the Nara’s would be in here constantly cloud watching. It’s gorgeous here. Hell I could even get into watching the sky and doing nothing if it was in a surrounding like this.”

The group smiled, Naruto had the right of it. The onsen was just what everyone needed and the setting was a sure way to allow them all to relax.

“If you stopped taking back to back missions, you might be able to sit for more then five minutes at a time.” Shikamaru had been helping Kakashi sort through all the missions coming in and out so he was well aware of who was taking what missions.

“I’m not taking any more then anyone else.” Naruto tried to defend himself but Shika wasn’t having it.

“Yes, you are.” He maneuvered the blonde so that he was sitting on Shino’s left side. “Naruto, you need to slow down or you’re going to burn out.”

“Shika, we’re not here to talk about me, we’re here to celebrate your upcoming marriage.” Naruto hated having this type of attention on him.

“Actually we’re not. This is an intervention.” Shikamaru glared at his best friend. “You need to find your mate and let them help you settle down.”

The look Naruto gave the mark on Shikamaru chest was pure pain. The fan was an exact replica of the one Temari carried and sat right over his heart. Shika had said that Temari’s mark was the outline of a deer. Naruto just shook his head.

“What about Hinata?” Kiba’s eyes stayed on Shino’s. He was aware of tension between his two teammates that had been going on for years. He even had a clue as to what it was about, but he had no proof. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d worked beside Shino for years and they were naked in an onsen he would have missed the flinch.

“We broke up. It’s why I’ve been taking the missions.” Naruto’s mood plunged and it felt like the sun had gone out.

Sai was confused. “What does you breaking up have to do with taking more missions?”

“She was talking about moving in together and marriage. I can’t get married. I told her that I’d rather stay the way we were but that I could understand if she wanted more with someone else. She said she understood, but kept pushing. I had to break it off with her. I figured that if I was out of town, she might find someone else.”

“I guess that make sense in your twisted mind,” Sai’s backhanded compliment didn’t phase Naruto at all, “but why can’t you get married?”

“You guys know what I have in me. I was always told that I wouldn’t, couldn’t have a mate. I mean who the hell would want to be mated to someone with the nine tailed fox inside. Sure the villagers are okay with me now, but their opinion could change any minute and I don’t want to put anyone else through the shit I went through as a kid.” Naruto didn’t often talk about Kurama or his past. They all knew he was a jinchuriki and that he and the fox were getting along now, but that didn’t stop some people from reacting badly.

“How many times do I have to tell you. Sakura says you have a mate mark.” Shikamaru was exasperated. 

The smile that stretched across Naruto’s face was brittle, “and as I kept telling you and Sakura, it was dark, she was tired and seeing what she wanted to see. No one wants to be mated to someone like me.”

Shino knew that this was his chance. He didn’t really want to do this with everyone present, but he also recognized that without their friends being there, he would likely back out. Listening to Naruto, he hadn’t realized the pain his mate still held inside all these years. “What if you did have a mate?” His voice was quiet, but as no one else was talking all eyes turned to him.

“But Shino...” Naruto started to reiterate what the villagers had yelled at him day after day while he had been growing up. That he was unworthy, unwanted, unlovable and unreliable. It was a lot of ‘un’s’ but the repetition was just another way for the villagers to beat him down.

Shino had his kikaichu move from where they had been covering his shoulders. The image of a fox appeared on his left upper arm. 

“I thought so,” Kiba’s comment was more to himself then anyone else.

Naruto reached out slowly, his fingers just grazing over the image, “but how? When?”

The pair didn’t notice Shikamaru and Choji guiding everyone out of the pool. It was amazing that Lee was as quiet as he was. 

Shino just turned and meet those ocean blue eyes and told the truth. “The mark first showed up about six months before we graduated from the academy. I showed my parents. Why, because I wanted to make sure that I had their support if you agreed to be my mate. I knew what you were and remembered what your childhood was like. I wanted to make sure that you would be welcome in the clan.”

Naruto felt his eyes water. That someone would go that those lengths to make sure that he would be welcomed. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Timing, because every time I gathered my nerve to speak to you, something happened to get in our way. You left for training with Master Jiraya, Asuma’s death, Jiraya’s death, Pain’s attack, Sasuke’s attack on the Kages, Hinata. Pick one.”

Naruto looked around and finally noticed that the pool was empty so when he turned back to Shino he felt he could ask without being questioned, “she was manipulating the situation wasn’t she?”

“Why do you think she was manipulating the situation?” Shino had an idea, but he didn’t realize that Naruto had seen through her plot.

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head, “it was some of the things she said and how she acted. There were times that she would flinch when I came near. She covered it up well enough, but it was always in the back of my mind. I know it was a factor in us breaking up.”

“She has always been manipulative. Part of the Hyuga training I believe. I overheard her talking about trying to find the most advantageous match for her clan. I believe that she choose you at first because as a jinchuricki if they controlled you, they controlled the villages strongest weapon. A side benefit was that she knew that it would hurt me.”

Naruto reached over to thread his fingers in Shino’s, “so why don’t I have a mate mark? I would gladly be yours and show it off, as long as it wouldn’t embarrass you.”

“I believe that Kurama is the reason.” Shino blushed at the way Naruto rubbed his thumb over the bug user’s hand. “He has always healed you of all scars. Is it too far off to think that he might see a soul mate tattoo as a scar to be removed?”

“Son of a bitch!” Naruto was flabbergasted, he’d never thought about it that way or talked to Kurama about soul mate tattoos. It was possible the Buji didn’t even know they were a thing.

“Does that mean you could see yourself dating me in the future?” Shino ducked his head, a little embarrassed to confess.

Naruto took a chance used his hand to tip Shino’s face up. “I would be honoured to date you anytime, I’m sorry I overlooked you.”

For the first time ever, Shino smiled and Naruto was blown away.

“About fucking time.” Shikamaru’s voice was a reminder of where they were. “Now, let’s go eat.”

Naruto helped Shino out of the pool, he refused to let go of Shino’s hand the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Fixed a major oops, thanks to LailabugTheReader for the catch
> 
> More edits Aug 2020
> 
> I apologize for the quality in the editing. The one responsible for editing and spell check has been sacked.  
> The writer responsible for sacking the editor who has just been sacked has been sacked.   
> The manager who decided it was okay to rip off Monty Python was given a high five and then was sacked by the writer.


End file.
